If you’re looking for the best golf balls for beginners, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Golfers Hacks we do everything we can, to provide you with the small hacks that add up in the end. Choosing golf balls for beginners and high handicappers is no exception.
Good beginner golf balls are not hard to come by, but you need to look for the right characteristics.
The best golf ball for beginners is the one that you feel comfortable playing with, that doesn’t break your budget, and adds to your confidence.
When it comes to golf balls, there are no simple answers. Every ball out there differs from the other – from the inside to the outside. In this article we’ll instruct you on what kind of golf ball you should use, if you’re an average golfer, looking to improve your game.
When you have read through the golf ball reviews, you will be much better suited to make the right decision. Lastly, we’ve included a buyers guide section, to further enhance your ability to make the best choice possible.
Get ready to answer the question: “Which golf ball is right for me?”
Table of Contents
1. Callaway Golf Supersoft Golf Balls Review
Summary And Features
As the name states, this ball is super soft. It excels around the greens where feel is superior. When looking for the best golf ball for amateurs, the game around the green is critical.
To achieve this great feel around the green the ball is made with an ultra low compression core. This means that the core material is not as tightly wound, resulting in a softer overall feel. These features make it one of the best golf balls for low swing speed golfers.
The Supersoft is a 2-piece ball that tends to be on the cheaper end. So here you’ll get a relatively cheap ball with great performance.
To accompany the softness, the Supersoft features Callaway’s patented hex surface pattern. The pattern enhances lift and reduces drag (claimed by the manufacturer). This results in low spin on full shots. But the softness leads to increased spin and control around the green.
In addition to its great features, the Supersoft also comes in a variety of colors. Most golfers like plain white balls, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you could go for green, orange, pink, red or yellow.
Pros and Cons
- Well priced
- Lots of features
- Different colors
- Durability could be better
- Medium performance
- Best for low swing speed golfers
2. Titleist DT TruSoft Golf Balls Review
Summary And Features
Just like the Callaways above, the Titleist DT Trusoft is a 2-piece soft ball. It features the same characteristics with low spin on long shots and good control around the greens.
The core is a low compression TruTouch core, which is the softest from Titleist to date. Along with the TruFlex cover material, this ball offers great feel and control in the short game. Furthermore, the TruSoft dimple design is constructed with advanced aerodynamics, to make the ball pierce through the air.
The Titleist balls undergo strict quality control which is your guarantee for consistency. Through the years Titleist has been known for great quality from balls to irons to clothing.
Due to the low compression, the TruSoft is mostly suited for low swing speed golfers. If your swing speed is high, look elsewhere. In doubt what your swing speed is? Talk with your local PGA Professional, who’ll be able to guide you.
All in all a great quality ball for a decent price and a good contender for the best golf ball for amateurs. If you’re looking for spin around the greens, this might not be an option for you. Despite its softness, the 2-piece construction really can’t deliver on spin as 3- or 4-piece balls can.
Pros and Cons
- Straight off the tee
- Soft around the greens
- Decent pricing
- Best for low swing speeds
- Not the best spin
3. Wilson Smart Core Golf Balls Review
Summary And Features
Who doesn’t like a bargain? The Wilson Smart Core balls are just in that category. Many players “downsized” from Pro V1’s to this bad boy. The reason? They are cheap and they perform decently.
As with all bargains, there are downsides. The durability on this ball is not the best – and the feel off the club is reported by some as clunky. If you have played a premium ball and put emphasis on the feel, it will be hard to go the cheaper route.
Like many of the other competitors in this review, the Wilsons are 2-piece. The outer shell is made of ionomer which is a softer shell material. Ionomer balls tend to spin less off the tee keeping your shots straighter. The inner core is what Wilson calls “smart”, and is claimed to adapt to the golfer’s swing speed. This is to be proved.
All in all the Smart Cores will be good for your wallet and decent for your game. If you’re a beginner, go for it – and once you’ve dialed in your game, switch balls and feel an improvement.
Pros and Cons
- Cheap – even if you lose some each round
- Helps with straighter tee shots
- Durability is not the best
- Lacks behind in distance
4. Bridgestone E6 Soft Golf Balls Review
Summary and Features
Another soft ball, but this is differently soft. This ball is made for accuracy and distance, but with less spin overall. It has a 3-piece construction and is a good candidate for the best golf ball for amateurs.
Firstly the cover is made of surlyn which improves distance, but lowers spin. Therefore it is aimed for players who put more emphasis on the long game.
Furthermore the construction sports a medium compression, which points it towards players with a medium swing speed – looking for some distance in their game.
Bridgestone has been in the golf game since 1935, and continues to prove their worth. With this track record one would think that the price would go up, but it’s actually not that bad and even on par with Titleist and Callaway.
It’s got an advanced mantle between the core and cover, which counteracts the spin on the longer shots. On the short shots the mantle helps with increased spin and a higher trajectory, to improve your approach to the green.
Bridgestone golf balls are a great choice if you’re a mid to low handicapper looking to get a step further. Golf Balls do have an impact on your game, and you will be able to tell if you come from a 2-piece cheaper ball. We feel like this is one of the best golf balls for amateurs out there.
Pros and Cons
- Softness off the clubface
- Increased accuracy on long shots
- Decent spin on short shots
- Price is a little high when not on sale
- Aimed for medium swing speed
5. Srixon Z-Star 6 XV Golf Balls Review
Summary and Features
A high-end ball for the golfers who really wants business around the greens. The Srixon Z-Star 6 XV is a 4-piece ball with a pretty unique cover layer. It’s called SeRM for Slide Ring Material and is best shown in the video below. In short, it’s made of a molecular layer that bonds together in certain points and are flexible in other points. When hitting the ball the cover digs deep into the grooves and provides excellent spin.
But what about distance, when the ball is so soft? Srixon has got you covered there too. The core is what Srixon call EGG – Energetic Gradient Growth. As the name implies the ball will, at impact, explode with energy, slice through the air and deliver great distance.
Could this ball be the best golf ball for amateurs? Maybe. But it depends on your wallet – because the price is not for everyone.
Srixon has been manufacturing golf balls since the 1930s, and have tour players like Keegan Bradley and Graeme McDowell play their balls.
Pros and Cons
- Great in long and short game
- Preferred by some tour professionals
- Many features for the average golfers
- For high swing speeds mostly
- Pricey
Buying Guide
Low Or High Swing Speed?
It doesn’t matter what your swing speed is, if you’re a high handicapper. But if you’re getting serious with your game and your handicap is lowering, it can be beneficial to find out what your swing speed is.
Low swing speed golfers will benefit for low compression balls. High swing speed golfers using low compression balls will suffer from the ball compressing too much, causing a loss of energy in the ball.
High swing speed golfers will benefit from high compression balls. Low swing speed golfers using high compression balls will have problems with the ball not compressing enough to generate a good spring effect off the clubface.
Take a look at this video, showing a lot of experiments around the compression of a golf ball. It looks ridiculous, and not many are aware of the insane compression that the ball is subject to, on every swing you make.
Soft or Firm Feel?
This is really a subjective matter. You need to get your preferences straight. Here are a few thoughts to help you along the way.
Have you ever heard of balata golf balls? They were the go-to ball for pros and low handicappers back in the days before 1990. They were very sought after because of their softness and feel, but durability sucked to say the least.
With all the technology that is put into modern golf balls today, it is possible to get relatively soft feeling balls, but with better durability and distance.
Not many golfers prefer firm or hard feeling golf balls. It is usually a distinctive characteristic of a cheaper ball, if it’s hard. It doesn’t do much good for your game, to play with hard balls. But then again, you might prefer golf balls that are not too soft.
Long or Short Game?
Where do you struggle, or where do you prefer to get help? Usually you have to choose between distance, or spin. Or maybe you will have to get a compromise between the two.
If you want the best of both worlds, you will usually have to spend big bucks to get 4- or 5-piece balls, something like the Titleist Pro V1 or TaylorMade TP5.
If you’re able to choose it’s possible to get either long and straight versions with low spin and low softness: Or you’ll be able to get soft and high spin balls, that lacks in distance and accuracy off the tee.
Cheap Or Expensive?
Like we’ve touched above, you’ll have to pay up to get premium golf balls that will perform like the pros want.
But if you’re able to choose, you can get off the hook cheaper.
So it is really up to yourself. If you’re an amateaur golfer the recommendation from GolfersHacks is to start out with a good 2- or 3-piece ball that fits your budget. When you get better and more consistent in your game, it can improve your game further, to get 4- or 5-piece golf balls. Read more golf ball reviews here.
Summing It All Up
So, we’ve been a long way around in this article. By now you should have a pretty good idea what types of golf balls are available out there. Also it should be a little clearer what impact your decisions have on your game.
If you’re still in doubt, it may be wise to visit your local PGA Professional.
Another way around it, would be to have a talk with your buddies on the 19th hole. Usually it can be beneficial to draw on other people’s experiences. But remember to filter out strong opinions, especially those that surface when you’re 2-3 beers in 😉
After all, you are the best to judge what will work for you.
Photo by Will Porada on Unsplash
